Record summer heat and severe drought disrupt European energy and river networks

Record-breaking temperatures across Western and Central Europe throughout June and July have triggered severe drought conditions, straining regional energy supplies and river transport. Climate monitoring data indicates that average global ocean surface temperatures reached a record 20.96°C in July, while global air temperatures rose roughly 1.47°C above pre-industrial baselines.

Critically depleted waterways, including the Danube, have forced authorities in Romania and Hungary to shut down or scale back nuclear power generation due to a lack of cooling water. In Romania, naval personnel conducted controlled riverbed detonations to channel water toward active reactors. The historically low river levels have snarled commercial freight shipping, heightened wildfire risks, and exposed sunken World War II equipment and prehistoric fossils. Economic estimates indicate that the resulting energy and logistics disruptions could cost Central European economies up to two billion euros in the third quarter.

Sources: Diário de Notícias (DN), Expresso, Jornal Económico, RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)